RCEP Value Chains and Their Implications

Abstract

On November 14, 2017, in Manila, Philippines, the heads of 16 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN announced 2018 as the new target year to conclude the Re-gional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. The RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs) had originally tried to achieve a substantial conclusion for the RCEP by the end of 2017, in time for ASEAN's milestone 50th anniversary, but as of yet such a substantial conclusion still remains a goal.